We humans are fascinated with body
decoration right since the beginning of life on earth. It is
believed that early
 human
cave dwellers braided seashells into their hair and wore bone
necklaces. This art kept on improving with time and later Stone
Age civilizations painted their hair and bodies with plant and
mineral dyes. This colouring of bodies suggested group membership
or rank which they belonged to. Gradually, symbolic body painting
or colouring became a magical part of hunting rituals, religious
festivals, and ceremonies.
Origin, history and tradition
The practice of henna body
decoration dates back to Islam. Henna is thought to have first
come into use in Egypt for coloring fingertips and finger nails,
palms of hands, and soles of feet. One of the earliest documented
uses of henna is found in the archeological evidence of Egyptian
tombs in the valley of Nile. Mummies of Egyptian rulers and their
families were prepared to enter the next world with henna-tinted
fingernails. Hieroglyphics names henna as pouquer.
In Middle East, the leaves of the henna plant have been used for
centuries as a beautification of the hands and feet. This has been
done particularly as religious ritual or during some ceremony. In
India, the women utilize it to beautify themselves before big
occasions such as wedding and holidays. The traditional patterns
mimic a lacy look, like gloves on the hands and arms, and very
intricate and ravishing.
Mehndi Tradition in India
Henna's first roots in India
are in question. During the reign of Augustus, Emperor of Rome (27
B.C.-A.D. 14), Egypt became an important trade centre for commerce
between Rome and India. There are ancient murals in the Ajanta-
Ellora caves near Mumabi (old Bombay) dated before A.D. 350 that,
remarkably, show a princess of Patliputra reclining under a tree,
half asleep, having her hands and feet painted with flowery henna
designs. Historians mention that henna may have been brought to
India along with Persian horses around A.D 712. What is known is
that henna has been cultivated in Rajasthan since around 1476.
Ethnic Significance of Mehandi
The use of mehandi or henna became a significant part of
Indian folk art soon after the advent of the Muslims. The
orange-red mehandi color was often painted on new brides. The
women were painted with intricate designs on order to distinguish
them from unmarried young virgins, who were in danger of being
kidnapped by the Muslims. From that time onward, it is said that
mehandi flourished as decorative art in India. Hindus consider
mehandi as very dear to Lakshmi, goddess of wealth and fortune. If
ever there was a plant associated with luck and prosperity, it is
henna bush.
 Botanical
Profile
Botanical name:
Lawsonia inermis
Botanical Family:
N.O. Lythraceae
Common names:
Henna, Henne, Mehandi,
Mendee, Al-Khanna, Al- henna, khidab, Jamaica Mignonette, Egyptian
Privet, Smooth Lawsonia, Reseda Henna is a shrub, 8-15 feet high,
with small white, yellow, pink or cream-colored sweet smelling
flowers. It produces blue-black berries. It thrives in hot, dry
climates. Powdered (young) leaves of the plant have been in use
from the most ancient times in Middle- Eastern and South Asian
countries for dyeing the hair and the nails. The dyeing process is
a chemical property of a brown tannin-like resinoid fracture
substance that is called hennotannic acid.
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